Daggett in line to replace Copeland as Northants prepare for Foxes encounter

Alec Swann

Lee Daggett is in line to make his first LV= County Championship Division Two appearance of the season at Grace Road tomorrow (Tuesday).

Northamptonshire head across the county border for the top versus bottom encounter in search of a fifth victory, and will fancy their chances against a Leicestershire side who have been in good form in the limited overs format and the exact opposite against the red ball.

With Trent Copeland’s stint at an end, the County face the difficult task of filling the Australian’s sizeable shoes.

And having already intimated that Daggett could be that man, head coach David Ripley is likely to go down that road this week.

He said: “Lee’s the most likely to play instead of Trent.

“It’s not replacing him directly because there aren’t many bowlers who do what he does, but it’s an exciting time as it gives us the chance to get some new faces in the side to show what they can do.

“I’m glad we got Trent for seven games rather than none at all.

“Ideally we would’ve had him up to the start of the Twenty20 when we knew that another overseas player was coming in, but we couldn’t manage to sort that out.”

Also included in the travelling party is Nottinghamshire left-arm spinner Graeme White, who is on loan for the next two Championship games, and Ripley says that his squad will have all possible bases covered.

He added: “I don’t expect it to be a result pitch as they haven’t been going down that road.

“It should be a good pitch with plenty of runs in it and we’ll have all options available.

“It’s a shame for Con (de Lange) that he isn’t fit to play but it could be a good chance for Graeme.”